"what happened?"

Naji raised his dull eyes, shook his head with a faint smile, and his tone was full of sadness: "I don't know..."

"First of all, my family's fiefdom has been drastically reduced due to the Earth Measurement Order..."

"Farmers on farmland moved to cities because of the household planning order..."

He spoke eloquently, his eyes enchanted.

"The lord's bureaucrats lost all their prestige after the Qing Dynasty Order was promulgated..."

"Our lives have become bankrupt due to the tax compilation order..."

"In the territory and castle, we had to disband the army of servants to cut expenses, and my mother and sisters had to sell their jewelry to support the family..."

The expressions of the guards prisoners were getting worse and worse.

Naji sneered:

"The irony is that the nouveau riche with mud legs can achieve a status and life comparable to ours with money, but it is illegal for us to even raise taxes on our own fiefdoms to tide over the difficulties..."

"There is also a damn naming order that clearly distinguishes our titles and positions..."

"And finally, the relocation order that comes with the general edict..."

Naji just shook his head sarcastically and said:

"The six wealthy families and the thirteen famous families may have great businesses and can withstand ups and downs and losses, and can withstand the king's sanctions, but for families like us, who are neither high nor low..."

He looked into space dreamily:

"Just like overnight, the whole world has changed. The happiness and stability you were accustomed to have turned into disaster and turmoil."

"Can you imagine?"

"At this time, being born into a noble family no longer sounds so good."

The happiness and stability we were accustomed to turned into disaster and turmoil...

Thales was stunned.

Naki spoke slowly, but no one interrupted him.

His tone had a sense of self-defeat and exhaustion, and with every word he spoke, Thales's expression darkened.

Assassination, foreign enemies, war, conspiracy...

At one time, he thought this was all that was going to be revealed in the Year of Blood, but now it seems...

Thales thought of the old crow Xixer.

And the lesson he taught himself.

Win and lose.

Enemies and friends.

[Don’t underestimate war itself. It is far from as simple as you think. It is not a game of win or lose, benefit or cost, survival or death. 】

【The Year of Blood.】

[In addition to victory or defeat, from what perspective and to what extent should we evaluate this tragic year full of wars? 】

At this moment, the young man was suddenly touched,

The Year of Blood is more than just a war, a conflict, a contradiction, and more than just a grudge between the two emperors and the disasters.

Everything was integrated into the melting pot of the Star Kingdom, and there was no way to escape.

Kings, countries, nobles, disasters, and politics are all intertwined together, influencing each other in this melting pot, entangled with each other, and difficult to decompose.

Thales thought again of the "Wise Lord" of the stars who made Lumba very afraid.

Mindis III.

A strange suspicion came to Thales' mind, but he was quickly shaken out of his mind.

"I used to wonder why, at a time when people were distracted and chaos was about to break out, people as prominent and powerful as the six guardian dukes and as powerful as the Thirteen Noble Families still swallowed and silently accepted His Majesty's orders."

"But after listening to Sak'el's words, I seem to understand," Naki curled his lips and showed a bitter and hopeless smile to Thales:

"When you see that standing behind His Majesty is a horrific disaster that has been passed down from generation to generation in your family, maybe you don't have much choice."

Naki's expression darkened, making Thales feel even more uncomfortable.

"I dare not and cannot judge His Majesty. After all, he is the King of the Stars. I must obey whatever he says, not to mention that he has such irresistible power..."

The more he continued to speak, the lower his mood became and the more painful his tone became.

This made Thales lower his head subconsciously.

"But when I returned to my dilapidated home, I saw my wife selling her dowry, my son suffering from hunger, my sister who was about to be married, looking sallow and thin, and my lord father on the hospital bed borrowing money from merchants while holding on to the family in vain.

The last piece of noble dignity..."

Naji's words were full of sorrow, making many guards prisoners look abnormal.

Thales said nothing.

Naki came back to his senses and looked at Thales again, his eyes changed.

"Ever since I was sensible, my father has taught me this: The Naki family has obtained the fiefdom since the era of the virtuous king. We are loyal to the Canxing family because we know that our status comes from the power of the royal family. The selection of our children into the royal guard is our stand with the royal power.

Being together is a symbol of our loyalty, but..."

Just like a drowning man looking at the last straw, Naki looked at Thales eagerly and longingly, but the color in his eyes was like the darkness before death:

"Tell me, your highness, shouldn't the king protect the interests and dignity of his vassals, and protect the prosperity and happiness of his subjects? Why is it that the more loyal we are to your majesty and to the kingdom, the more...

…”

Naji's tone was stagnant, he became exhausted, confused and confused:

"Is it because I don't love my kingdom enough, or my kingdom doesn't love me enough?"

At that moment, Thales, who was in a sad mood, opened his mouth to speak.

But he couldn't say anything.

At that moment, all the guard members in the dungeon fell silent.

Naki snorted, and his whole body was filled with the relief of giving up everything:

"So, in the day after day of confusion and growing despair, when someone promises us hope, someone tells us that all this is just a momentary insanity of the king, but a delusion of the kings in the court, and we need

What I did was just a moment of silent waiting..."

He didn't say any more.

On the other side, Cannon started sobbing softly again, Bree stopped humming, Tardin lost his mind, and Belletti and Nye, who were unaware of the situation, were in a daze.

Only little Barney and Samir, one muttered words that they could only understand, and the other gritted his teeth and held the weapon.

"Tell me, Your Highness, on one side are the hopeful wives and weak children, the old men and women who stick to the past, and the proud family glory... On the other side, there is the gentle and kind His Majesty the King, the cruel and ruthless king's decrees, and the engraved laws of life.

Guard oath..."

Naji's face twisted, his eyes filled with moisture:

"Who should I be loyal to, and who should I betray?"

Thales closed his eyes gently.

"Father," little Barney pressed his head in pain: "Father..."

"No, you... no, all this is so unfair..."

Little Barney's moans filled the air.

thump.

On the other side, Taldin fell to his knees on the ground, covering his face and shaking his shoulders slightly.

Naki laughed nervously and raised the key in his hand:

"If you are loyal to His Majesty and the stars, it means betraying your family and your beloved wife and children..."

"Tell me, Your Highness, what should you do to avoid betrayal, and what should you do to be considered loyal?"

Thales exhaled with difficulty.

He was speechless.

Naki looked at the prince's appearance and smiled.

"It doesn't matter, because I finally understand. Look at where we are now..."

He glanced at everyone, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.

"Whether it's Jenny, Luna, my beloved wife and children..."

"And my Majesty, my oath..."

Naji looked at the empty void with wonderment:
To be continued...